Henrietta Szold

Szold, Henrietta (zōld) [key], 1860–1945, American Zionist leader, editor, and translator, b. Baltimore. After graduating from high school in 1877 she taught (1878–92) in private schools, organizing some of the first night school classes for immigrants. She was a founder (1888) of the Jewish Publication Society of America and served as its general editor until 1916. In 1912 she founded Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, of which she was president from 1912 to 1926. In 1920 she moved to Palestine, directing the organization's medical service and relief work. She is particularly esteemed for her leadership (1933–45) of the Youth Aliyah, an organization that rehabilitated thousands of children during World War II. She also translated many works from French, German, and Hebrew.